Erlang Shen

Depiction and powers

Erlang is usually portrayed as a young, handsome man with a three-pointed spear, though in older paintings he is sometimes portrayed as an older man with a beard and sword. He has a third eye in the middle of the forehead, sometimes called "Eye of Heaven" (Chinese: 天眼; pinyin: Tiānyǎn), which lets him see through deceptions, disguises, and transformations.

As a god, Erlang is a noble and powerful warrior who vanquishes demons and monsters, and embodies justice and righteousness. He possesses vast, superhuman strength, being able to cleave through an entire mountain in one stroke.

His main weapon is a spear called Sanjian Liangren Qiang (Chinese: 三尖兩刃槍; pinyin: Sānjiān Liǎngrèn Qiāng; lit. 'Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear'), usually depicted as a flat, broad spear with three tips like a trident, and the two cutting edges of a saber. This bladed polearm is powerful enough to penetrate and cleave through steel and stone like wool.

Erlang is almost always accompanied by his faithful hunting dog, the Xiaotian Quan (Chinese: 嘯天犬; pinyin: Xiàotiān Quǎn; lit. 'Howling/Barking Celestial Dog'), which has the ability to viciously attack, maul, and subdue demons and evil spirits.

In some legends, Erlang possesses a unique ability known as the Jiuzhuan Xuangong (Chinese: 九轉玄功; pinyin: Jiǔzhuǎn Xuángōng; lit. 'Nine Turns Divine Skill'), which turns him nearly invincible against conventional weapons and most forms of magic. In the novel Investiture of the Gods, this ability turns him completely impervious to attacks from mystical weapons that have proven capable of injuring or even killing other immortals. Some stories state he is capable of 72 transformations (sometimes 73), meaning he can transform into virtually anything he wants.

In some folk beliefs, he was a filial son that entered Diyu, or hell, to save his deceased mother from torment. After being deified, he punishes unfilial children by striking them with thunder as a punishment, hence the traditional saying, "being smitten by lightning for being unfilial and ungrateful" towards unruly children.

Origin

Erlang's origin comes from a combination of historical and legendary figures. Generally, he is believed to be the deification of Li Erlang, the second son of Li Bing. However, he is also identified with several other folk heroes, which may have influenced his portrayal. He originated as a local god of Guankou, Sichuan, where Li Erlang was from. During the Northern Song dynasty (960–1127 CE), the cult of Erlang spread to the rest of China.

In later stories, Erlang is the deification of Yang Jian, son of the goddess Yunhua, and nephew of the legendary Jade Emperor. This portrayal as Yang Jian is most common in popular media.

As Li Erlang (李二郎)

Li Erlang was the second son of Li Bing, a hydraulic engineer from the Qin dynasty.

According to the "Story about Li Bing and His Son in Harnessing the Rivers" in the Records of Guansian, Li Erlang assisted his father in the construction of the complex irrigation system that prevented the Min River from flooding and irrigated the Chengdu Plain. In thanks for the prosperity that this brought to them, the local people elevated the father and son to gods and dedicated the Two Kings Temple in their honor.

Legend states that Li Bing sent his son out to discover the source of the flooding. He spent a year exploring the county without success. One day whilst sheltering in a cave, he encountered a tiger which he slew and seven hunters who had witnessed this bravery agreed to join him in his quest.

The group finally came to a cottage on the outskirts of Guan County (modern Dujiangyan City). From within they heard the sound of an old woman crying. The woman was Grandma Wang and she told them that her grandson was to be sacrificed to an evil dragon who was the local river god. Li Erlang reported this to his father who devised a plan to capture the dragon.

The eight friends hid in the River God Temple and jumped out on the dragon when it arrived to claim its offering. The dragon fled to the river pursued by Li Erlang, who eventually captured it. Grandma Wang arrived with an iron chain and the dragon was secured in the pool below the Dragon-Taming Temple, freeing the region from floods.

Another legend tells of Li Erlang suppressing a fire dragon that lived in the mountains north of Dujiangyan by climbing to the top of Mount Yulei, turning into a giant and building a dam with 66 mountains then filling it with water from Dragon Pacifying Pool.

As Li Bing (李冰)

Li Bing himself has been thought of as inspiration for Erlang. For stopping the floods of the Min River by constructing Dujiangyan, he was turned into a folk hero who defeated a river god in order to save his prefecture from being flooded. He was then portrayed as the new river god that protected the local people in the area from floods. However, a discrepancy comes up that even though Li Bing/Erlang was known as Guankou Shen, the river that he is associated with is in Qianwei and not Guankou. Another discrepancy is that Li Erlang had never appeared in any of the tales related to stopping the Min River. The first appearance of Li Erlang was in Zhishui ji (治水記) by Li Ying (李膺) of the Liang dynasty (502–557 CE).

Historically, Li Bing was conferred an official title until the Five Dynasties period under the rule of the Shu kingdom. He rose to political power when the great flood that occurred on the twenty-sixth day of the eighth month in 920 AD was reported to the emperor by Daoist Du Guangting.

As Yang Jian (楊戩)

Many legends and novels describe Erlang as Yang Jian, a nephew of the Jade Emperor. According to an ancient text, Erlang Baojuan, Yang Jian's mother was Princess Yunhua, the Jade Emperor's sister, who was imprisoned under Mount Tao because she violated the Heavenly Rules by marrying a human named Yang Tianyou. Many years later, her son Yang Jian cleaved Mount Tao using his axe, hoping to set his mother free. He did successfully rescue his mother after he chased away the sun by carrying a mountain on his back.

In the Tang dynasty story The Magic Lotus Lantern, Erlang's mother, Princess Yunhua, was the goddess of the realm of desire in heaven. Her job was to limit the gods' mortal urges such as love, affection, greed, and ambition. When she pursued an evil dragon who broke free of its heavenly prison into the mortal realm and was injured by it, she fell in love with Yang Tianyou, a mortal scholar, who saved her life by giving her his own heart to replace the one the dragon damaged. They had three children: Yang Jiao, Yang Jian (Erlang Shen), and Yang Chan (Holy Mother of Mount Hua). When the Jade Emperor discovered her marriage, he sent his armies to kill her family and capture her. Only Erlang and his sister Yang Chan survived.

In order to rescue his mother, Yang Jian became a disciple of Yuding Zhenren at Jinxia Cave in Yuquan Mountain. By the age of seventeen, he had cultivated powerful abilities that allowed him to stand proudly in the world. His martial skills progressed remarkably, especially after he obtained the Three-Pointed Two-Edged Blade. Driven by his deep desire to save his mother, he used his blade to split open Peach Mountain and rescued her. This legend has also become an important origin for the "filial piety" culture along the banks of the Guan River.

In the Ming dynasty novel Investiture of the Gods (1605), it is mentioned that Princess Longji is the Jade Emperor's daughter, making her Yang Jian's cousin. The Golden Fleece Lads are his disciples.

Other identifications

Erlang Shen is also identified with Zhao Yu, a hermit who lived on Mount Qingcheng and was appointed by Emperor Yang of Sui as Governor of Jiazhou. Zhao Yu is said to have set forth with 1000 men to defeat a flood dragon that had been tormenting the area. Upon reaching the river, Zhao Yu dived into the water with his double-edged sword and emerged holding the dragon's head. Following his death, according to the Chronicle of Changshu County, the region was once again plagued by flood and he was seen riding a white horse amidst the swirling currents. The locals built a temple enshrining Zhao Yu as the god Erlang and the floods were subdued.

Deng Xia is said to have been a general under Erlang who surpassed his predecessors in valor and defeated a flood dragon, receiving the title "Erlang Shen" and a temple in his honor at Zhongqingli in Hangzhou.

Representation in Chinese culture as Yang Jian (楊戩)

Fengshen Yanyi

In Investiture of the Gods, Yang Jian (Yang Bliss) is a disciple of Yuding Zhenren, and he learned fighting and magical skills including the 72 earthly transformations. He first appeared during the time of the Diablo Brothers' attack on the Western Foothills. After hearing of the situation, Yang personally took the offensive against the brothers. During his duel against all four brothers, Yang deliberately allowed himself to be consumed by Diablo Long Life's flying mink (some sources say an elephant). Following the battle, Yang Jian suddenly reappeared before Jiang Ziya after killing the mink inside its stomach with his many transformations. To trick the Diablo Brothers, Yang Jian later transformed himself into Long Life's flying mink and stole Diablo Red's Havoc-Umbrella. Thus, Yang was renowned as the true reason for Jiang Ziya's victory over the Diablo Brothers at an overall point.

The Seven Monsters of Meishan are the main adversaries of Yan Jian and were summoned from their home on Mount Mei to help defend Mengjin Pass on behalf of the Shang dynasty against the advancing Zhou army. With their formidable magical powers and demonic abilities, they inflict heavy losses on the Zhou forces, defeating several of its generals. Because they are highly cultivated demons, ordinary weapons often fail to kill them permanently. However, Yang Jian's third eye, known as the "Eye of Heaven", allows him to see through their disguises and perceive their true forms. He then systematically defeats them by exploiting the natural weaknesses of their original animal forms.

Journey to the West

Erlang makes an appearance near the start of the classic Journey to the West by Wu Cheng'en. Erlang, who is titled as being either True Lord or Illustrious Sage, is the nephew of the Jade Emperor. Erlang made his first appearance when he had been ordered by the Jade Emperor (in which Erlang was also with his seven elite sages whom he called his brothers) to subdue Sun Wukong, who was to be punished for his havoc in heaven.

His bearing was refined, his visage noble, His ears hung down to his shoulders, and his eyes shone. The hat on his head had three peaks and phoenixes flying, And his robe was of a pale goose−yellow. His boots were lined with cloth of gold; dragons coiled round his socks; His jade belt was decorated with the eight jewels, At his waist was a bow, curved like the moon, In his hand a Three-Pointed Double-Edged Spear. His axe had split open Peach Mountain when he rescued his mother, His bow had killed the twin phoenixes of Zongluo. Widespread was his fame for killing the Eight Demons, And he had become one of Plum Hill's seven sages. His heart was too lofty to acknowledge his relatives in Heaven; In his pride he went back to be a god at Guanjiang. He was the Merciful and Miraculous Sage of the red city, Erlang, whose transformations were numberless.

— Description from Journey to the West, Wu Cheng'en

Throughout the course of Erlang's duel between Sun Wukong, it was proven that they are equally matched. After many transformations that were performed in their duel (Sun Wukong fleeing as a fish; Erlang and Sun Wukong becoming larger birds, and so forth), near the conclusion of the battle, he managed to see through Sun Wukong's disguise (as a temple) using his third eye and with the assistance of another God. It should be noted, however, that Wukong fleeing was for his monkeys' safety. Erlang eventually captured Wukong through teamwork with several other gods; Laozi personally had dropped his refined golden ring that had hit Sun Wukong on the head, giving Erlang a chance to bring him down, and Erlang's dog bit him in the leg. After Sun Wukong had been captured (to which Sun Wukong retorts that they are cowards for attacking from behind), he and his heavenly soldiers would burn areas of Mount Huaguo. Erlang is seen again far later in the novel when he assists Sun Wukong and Zhu Bajie through chance by fighting against an ancient Dragon King and his villainous son-in-law, a nine-headed bird demon. Wukong also mentions being sworn brothers with Erlang Shen. Erlang has six other sworn brothers known as the Six Sages of Meishan from Plum Mountain (Meishan).

Bao Lian Deng

In the tale Lotus Lantern (Bao Lian Deng), Erlang had a sister known as the Holy Mother of Mount Hua (Hua Shan). She married a mortal man, Liu Yanchang, who was a scholar. Together, they had a son by the name of Chenxiang. Erlang had to seal her because she violated the laws of heaven by having a relationship with a mortal. When Chenxiang came of age, he defeated Erlang and split the mountain with an axe to free his mother, mirroring how Erlang has split Mount Tao to free his own mother.

In popular culture

Erlang is also introduced as a resplendent, powerful god in Kevin Hearne's Scourged, book 9 of The Iron Druid Chronicles.

• Erlang is featured as a boss in the Game Science 2024 video game Black Myth: Wukong, voiced by Zhang Jie in Mandarin and Andrew Koji in English.